Recent arrest nixes plea deal

Steamboat Springs — A 22-year-old Oak Creek man on Friday was set to enter pleas for two felony theft cases but a recent arrest nixed the deal.

Maurice Adama Choquette’s court-appointed attorney had negotiated a plea agreement with Deputy District Attorney David Moffat prior to the court hearing in front of 14th Judicial District Judge Joel S. Thompson.

Choquette was ready to enter pleas to charges stemming from an alleged theft from his former employer and an attempted theft of a stereo from a car, but the man was arrested Wednesday night.

“We need to go back to the drawing board on all of these cases,” said William Schurman, Choquette’s attorney. “We had reached a disposition, but he was arrested.”

Choquette was arrested Wednesday night at his apartment in the 100 block of Main Street for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a class four felony.

According to court records, a 16-year-old boy was allegedly found in Choquette’s apartment drinking beer.

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An Oak Creek police officer went to the apartment after a noise complaint was reported, records show.

During the hearing, Schurman and Moffat asked Thompson to reduce Choquette’s $5,000 bond to $2,000.

Choquette “has always made his court appearances,” Moffat said. “The issue is can he stay out of trouble?”

Thompson denied the request because of the number of pending cases against the man and his criminal history.

“He is on probation before he started picking up all these offenses that are alleged. The bond amount seems appropriate.”

Choquette’s criminal activity started in 1999 when he ran up a $900 telephone bill for placing calls to a 1-900 number on his employer’s telephone.

Because of the incident, Choquette pleaded guilty to theft.

Last October, Thompson sentenced Choquette to 90 days in jail and placed the man on four years of supervised probation, which could be revoked.

In June, Choquette was arrested for theft when he allegedly stole almost $1,300 from his former employer, Sears. Choquette allegedly pocketed money from customers who made purchases with cash between March 26 and April 4, court records show. He later posted a $5,000 bond.

On Aug. 1, Choquette was arrested again when he allegedly attempted to steal a $600 stereo from a vehicle parked at The Industrial Co. For this incident, he faces felony charges of theft and criminal trespass.